boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
There are alternatives. Other cameras have fine images, some have better images. And Leica could settle on a standard battery. Sony has. And those standard Sony batteries abound in the aftermarket and show up being used in other cameras. Leica just is not team player.
But there really are no alternatives for customers who have cameras already and need batteries now.
Agreed, if Leica continue to fail to deliver, future cameras should be powered by batteries that are not proprietary.
Has anyone come across a thread where someone has repacked a worn out Leica battery with new cells?
Agreed, if Leica continue to fail to deliver, future cameras should be powered by batteries that are not proprietary.
Has anyone come across a thread where someone has repacked a worn out Leica battery with new cells?
Godfrey
somewhat colored
OK so you can vent at others, when they express legitimate beefs with Leica. But you won't vent against Leica even if they give their customers the run around for a full year. Got it.
This isn't a new thread, it actually pre-dates the one in which you previously vented your spleen.
I have no problem with people having beefs with Leica. I dislike hearing the one-two-or-three people with beefs reiterating them on a nearly daily basis; I find it is just cruft in the forum.
And I don't generally "vent my beefs against Leica" or any other manufacturer on a public forum without first discussing the problem with said manufacturer so that I can report what they actually responded when I did so. And I don't repeat said 'beefs' over and over again to no purpose.
In fact, I have very few beefs with any manufacturer. When I call on Customer Service with an issue, they generally respond in a sensible and constructive way which eliminates my issue. If the answer is, "Sorry, there's nothing we can do about that at the present time" rather than waste everyone's time with disparaging the manufacturer, I post notes asking whether anyone else had had the issue and what solution they might have found. If there are no solutions other than "wait for the cause of the issue to disappear," the only sensible thing to do is to be patient and wait it out. It may be frustrating, but it's a fact of life. Why make life worse by moaning about it over and over again?
I see that adriankeith resurrected this thread which started in October by adding to it yesterday, despite there being three or four other threads on the exact same topic. My bad for presuming that it was a newer thread than the ones that he/she everyone else bitched on a month or so ago. It's obviously just a continuation of the same waste of energy and time.
Carry on in whatever manner pleases you. I'll unsubscribe.
G
It's an online forum, sometimes there are multiple members discussing similar things in multiple threads. Simply move on if a thread doesn't strike your fancy.
In any case, no reason to waste more time and energy complaining about time- and energy-wasting threads.
In any case, no reason to waste more time and energy complaining about time- and energy-wasting threads.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
If we can praise Leica we can, likewise condemn Leica. When they are right they get praise, when they are not they get condemnation. Or we can just complacently accept everywhere what is shoddy and disrespectful treatment.
Myself I say when Leica is doing something well. I get no complaints about that.
JeffS7444
Well-known
I searched awhile back but couldn't find evidence of any Leica battery DIY activity going on, but I doubt there's any tricky DRM or proprietary cells involved. Ironically, Sony's InfoLithium batteries are DRM'd, yet they are widely cloned, so go figure.
JohnWolf
Well-known
The M10 manual says the battery degrades significantly after several hundred chargings. It also says to replace the battery after four years. My two batteries seem fine, but considering the camera is eight years old, the current need for batteries must be high if their statements are true.
Freakscene
Obscure member
Mine are holding noticeably less charge than they did when they were new, and they are now 5 years old. I am not going to toss them out when I can’t get any more.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
It is kind of like selling you a car and then shutting down the gas stations.
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
Odd that I read some bickering in this thread. Seems unnecessary and not my usual RFF experience.
Isn't it just an obvious problem that M10 batteries are simply impossible to find? And, it's frustrating -- and I just don't understand why.
My M10 batteries (I luckily have two) are working fine so far, but I know they won't last "forever". I just wish that either Leica make batteries available...or lift the proprietary restrictions and let 3rd party offerings come out. I still have a few 3rd party M8/9 batteries that work just fine with my M9. I have a mix of Leica and 3rd party batteries for the M9 and this is working out well. I love my M9, even if I do have an M240 and M10 as well. I feel spoiled....but worry about losing ability to use my wonderful cameras if batteries become unavailable.
Did I rant? Hopefully not. The above is my "internal dialogue" reflecting my anxiety. Of course, I should recognize that I'm experiencing much much much greater anxiety from other current issues. 😮
Isn't it just an obvious problem that M10 batteries are simply impossible to find? And, it's frustrating -- and I just don't understand why.
My M10 batteries (I luckily have two) are working fine so far, but I know they won't last "forever". I just wish that either Leica make batteries available...or lift the proprietary restrictions and let 3rd party offerings come out. I still have a few 3rd party M8/9 batteries that work just fine with my M9. I have a mix of Leica and 3rd party batteries for the M9 and this is working out well. I love my M9, even if I do have an M240 and M10 as well. I feel spoiled....but worry about losing ability to use my wonderful cameras if batteries become unavailable.
Did I rant? Hopefully not. The above is my "internal dialogue" reflecting my anxiety. Of course, I should recognize that I'm experiencing much much much greater anxiety from other current issues. 😮
It really shouldn't be that difficult to repack one of these. If the plastic case is difficult to open without damage, that could be resolved with a 3D printed replacement. If anyone has a non-working battery, feel free to contact me.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
There are third-party batteries for the M8 and M9: bizarre. Anyway, you guys are making me nervous, and tomorrow I'll get a spare for the SL2 and gently place it on a pillow in the cupboard.
Freakscene
Obscure member
Exercise it periodically as Leica recommends. I have now sourced several new old stock BP-SCL5 batteries that were dead out of the box.
Freakscene
Obscure member
I have one but can’t send it internationally. I am exploring if someone locally can repack them for me. I will report back.It really shouldn't be that difficult to repack one of these. If the plastic case is difficult to open without damage, that could be resolved with a 3D printed replacement. If anyone has a non-working battery, feel free to contact me.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
The question is why are batteries hard or impossible to find? Are they incredibly complex? Are they very hard to manufacture? This problem keeps getting kicked around. There are two groups discussing it: the complacents with the "oh wells" and there are the upsets with the "WTF's"?
M8/M9 batteries are abundant on eBay. Batteries are not rocket science. If the M8/M9's can be easily made and the Q2's can be easily made I will get out on a limb and say that the M10 batteries can be easily made. So why aren't they being made? There is the market. So who and how restricts the manufacturing of after-market batteries? Take all the time you need.
I am not a lawyer nor do I understand law but Apple got in trouble in the EU for their cute tricks with gear and accessories for their computers and iPads. And the EU had a chat with them and that stopped because what Apple was doing was perceived as a restraint of trade. If I am wrong please correct me.
And if this argument is getting tedious imagine how tedious it is not being able to use a very expensive camera because you have no battery and the manufacturer will not make any available. That is beyond tedious.
If there were batteries there would be no discussion. No whining over in the Sony camp.
JeffS7444
Well-known
Probably excellent candidates for rebuilding: Likely no actual fault with them, save that their state of charge fell below a recommended threshold.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Every two or three months all my M8/M9 batteries get refreshed. Cheap insurance.
Johngwill
Established
Try Battery Doctor in Sydney ( Battery Doctor - Bomaderry Nowra Australia ). Norm Day is the contact person.
I have resurrected multiple lithium batteries that fell below threshold...the charger circuitry would no longer allow them to accept a charge since they were below, but once they were independently boosted over the threshold, they could be charged up again on the OEM charger.
JeffS7444
Well-known
This is mostly speculation on my part, but my impression is that M8/9 were the big M digital sellers, while subsequent models were sold in much more modest numbers. I understand that it's a similar situation with ultra high-end automobiles, where there may be substantial downtime while waiting for the next production run of parts. Post #11 suggests to me that M10 battery sales may actually be so slow that they can't turn over inventory quickly enough to ensure that everyone gets a fresh battery.